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RAIL
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CTOM Signalling recently completed
a pilot electronic interlocking contract
for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) that en-
compassed provision of a system for a sin-
gle existing station. The validation process
also required a simulated “validation station”
containing the full scope of permutations for
electronic signalling systems.
ACTOM Signalling has developed and in-
stalled an electronic system designed spe-
cifically for Crescent station, situated near
Potchefstroom station in North-West Province
on the line to Klerksdorp, while the validation
station simulation it has developed as part of
the pilot contract serves as a master model
for all other stations TFR may assign to the
business unit to design and provide electronic
interlocking systems for in future.
The multi-million rand contract was awarded
in mid-2014 and the system at Crescent was
completed and commissioned in September
2015. “The Crescent system will be moni-
tored by TFR prior to granting full and final
approval of the interlocking system,” said
Peter Colborne, ACTOM Signalling’s General
Manager.
The core of the electronic interlocking sys-
tem is Alstom’s integrated Vital Processor
Interlocking (iVPI), a product that was initially
developed for the North American market but
has been applied in more than 16 countries.
ACTOM developed the hardware and soft-
ware interfaces to all the trackside equipment
and the CS90 remote control system.
“Our engineering configuration program,
called Engineering Configuration Tool (ECT),
has the capability to automatically generate
interlocking equations for individual stations
according to their specific layout and signal-
ling requirements,” Colborne explained.
This custom-designed engineering config-
uration tool, developed in-house by ACTOM
Signalling, is an extra layer of software that
utilises the programming tools developed
by Alstom. It is programmed to apply TFR’s
HR97 interlocking rules to the required sta-
tion layout.
“For the overall validation system we de-
signed a dummy station model, including a
track layout simulation, that incorporates all
the features as provided for Crescent station,
plus all other possible permutations cov-
ered in TFR’s Required Operational Capabil-
ity (ROC),” he added. The technology makes
provision for both centralised and distributed
interlocking systems. A distributed system
was chosen for Crescent station for control of
a total of six point sets and 26 signals, with
the new system installed in the station’s relay
room and communicating with the trackside
equipment via optical fibre cable in place of
the copper cable used formerly. The previous
DC points machines have been replaced with
AC points machines.
The system also makes provision for commu-
nicating with the legacy system still in oper-
ation at the adjacent stations Potchefstroom
and New Machavie. The Crescent installation
contains most of the features required in an
electronic interlocking system serving an av-
erage small station. “These features can be
expected to be included in practically all fu-
ture systems, while the validation model also
makes provision for any additional features
likely to be required at stations where the sig-
nalling functions are more complex and varied,
such as passenger stations like Johannesburg
and New Canada,” Colborne commented.
b
ACTOM SIGNALLING
completes contract for Transnet Freight Rail